Science Projects: The Joy of Non-Newtonian Fluids
Have you ever wanted to walk on water, without the downside of being inevitably betrayed and denied by your closest friends?
In elementary school we learn the difference between the three conventional states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. But as lucky students with cool science teachers (and nerdy kids with the Internet) know, not all fluids are the same.
Non-Newtonian fluids change viscosity under strain. Poke, shake, or smash them, and they act like a solid. Let them sit or move them around slowly, and they act like a fluid. This has some interesting applications, like body armor and custard.
But who needs practical applications when you can create an evil cornstarch monster:
Want to make some non-Newtonian fluids of your own? There are plenty of recipes online, but the easiest way to do it is to get some water in a bowl and slowly stir in some cornstarch. It should get kinda think and even, and when you get to the point where you can stir slowly, but not quickly, voila — you have broken the laws of 4th grade science. The technical term is oobleck.
Here are further instructions, one set for geeks:
And one set for little kids:
And here’s one more for the road:
And of course, since this is the Internet, there are even more videos to watch.
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Dammit! I miss Middle School science!!!
November 17th, 2006 at 12:25 am